Shavings in the coops on a wire floor?

[chickenalice]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=3951-2StoryCoop

I have a coop that is similar to this one. it just doesn't have the bottom part and opens up on the front. anyways, the bottom of the coop is wire with a tray underneath. so the questions are... should i keep putting shavings in it if they just fall right through the wire? should i put enough so it sits above the wire? is it okay if the chickens only have a wire floor and not really any bedding?
thanks

 

[Rozzie]

If the bottom is wire, you will waste your money putting wood chips in. They'll just fall through. If you want to have a layer of wood chips, then you'll need to place something over the wire first -- a thin layer of board, most likely. However, it WILL be harder to clean.

 

[elmo]

I'm not a big fan of wire bottom coops. The wire can be hard on a chicken's feet, so you would need to keep checking feet for abrasions and potential bumblefoot. Secondly, if the openings in the wire are wide, it's a predator risk (grabbing through the wire). If the openings in the wire are small, the droppings tend to catch on them. In winter, the wire floor could cause a downward draft in the coop.

You've got a tray under the wire, right? How is that working? Do the droppings fall through to the tray or do they get stuck on the wire?

 

[kichohana]

the wire has got to be hard on their feet! i assume it's there so the poop can fall thru to the bottom for easy cleaning. i wouldn't waste money on wood shavings that will fall thru. for flooring try maybe some cardboard or newspaper that could be taken out and composted and cheaply replaced?

 

[NHchicks]

Our entire coop, including the bottom, is encased in mesh wire. Absolutely critter proof. On the bottom mesh wire I have about 3" of shavings. You wouldn't even know the wire was there, it's like a dirt floor. Ideally the shavings would fall thru the bottom for easy cleaning, but that doesn't last long before it all gets caked into a dirt floor kind of thing.